


Legacy & Ironheart

by Onceuponatypewriter



Category: Iron Man (Comics), Iron Man (Movies), Ironheart (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-06-30 12:15:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19852972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onceuponatypewriter/pseuds/Onceuponatypewriter
Summary: Morgan Stark remembers her father through the eyes of everyone but her own. Everyone promises her she will one day live up to his legacy, but she doesn't want to. Being Iron Man is what killed her father, and she won't meet the same fate.Riri Williams wasn't even born yet when Tony Stark died to save the world. Still, she can't help but admire the man who's one true super power was his brain. She chose MIT because she hoped it could make her the kind of hero she wants to be. An Avenger.





	1. Welcome to MIT

**Author's Note:**

> I can only hope my predictions fit with the future of the mcu, but I'm not psychic, and I haven't seen far from home yet, so this might unintentionally turn into an au. Either way, hope you guys like it!

“Bedding; check, Clothes; check; shower caddy; all set.” Happy ran through the checklist for what felt like the hundredth time before Morgan snatched the tablet out of his hand.   
“Laundry hamper, desk lamp, laptop, surge protectors, mugs. I think we’re good here Happy.” She tossed the tablet on the bed, then collapsed onto the mattress with a sigh of relief.  
“What about your books?” He reached for the checklist, but Morgan stopped his hand.  
“I ordered them online. They’re being delivered to the address in Boston.” Happy nodded as if in agreement. “The address, which I know nothing about, by the way.”  
“It’s a surprise. Something your dad left for you.”  
“Dad left me a lot of things. It’s almost like he’s still trying to apologize for saving the world.”There was a long stretch of silence before Happy slowly started to make his way out of the room. “I forgive him.” She wasn’t sure if he heard her. She wasn’t sure it mattered.  
…  
“I’m not taking the Stark jet. It’s four hours by car, and I have three in my name.”   
“Four.”  
“What?” Coming from money certainly has its perks, but being the daughter of a billionaire superhero can be a bit much.  
“There’s one waiting for you in Boston.” Pepper informed her daughter.  
“Absolutely not. I’m taking the subway.”  
“This car is bulletproof, and we’ve already hired the driver.”   
“Why did Happy bother teaching me to drive?” Morgan watched as her mother’s phone started ringing, and she abandoned the question to see who was calling. She watched her mother exit the room while signaling that this would only take a minute, but she knew better.   
Instead of waiting for her mother to return and continue what they both knew to be a pointless debate Morgan made her way down the garage.  
…  
The garage was a testament to one of her father’s many obsessions. A row of vintage cars lined the cement space, three of which belonged solely to Morgan. She had found that if she lied down in the back seat of the 55 chevy she could remain hidden for hours at a time. This had become a habit this past summer, as she was constantly berated with questions regarding her upcoming departure.  
Going from Upstate New York to Boston, MA felt liberating. Her father’s alma matter had accepted her with open arms, not just because of her legacy, but because of her outstanding grades throughout high school. She hadn’t been valedictorian, but that was mostly by choice. She’d managed to nearly tank AP History, simply to avoid giving the dreaded speech. Second place wasn’t half bad.  
A terrible vibrating tone interrupted the peaceful silence of the garage, forcing Morgan to change her position in the bar. She looked at her holowatch to find an email from MIT. Roommate assignments.  
“Let’s see who has the privilege of sharing a 130 square foot bedroom with Tony Starks progeny.” Morgan let out a sigh as she opened the email.  
…  
“You must be Riri. I’m-”  
“Morgan Stark. I know.” The fifteen year old super genius was trying hard to seem unimpressed, but Morgan was the heir to Stark Industries, and a brilliant engineer in her own right.  
“Right.” Morgan was beginning to regret her choice in schools. She was beginning to regret choosing to live on campus. Above all she was beginning to regret who she was. Everyone here was either going to be pointlessly starstruck, or terribly unimpressed. She wasn’t looking forward to finding out who fit into which category.  
“You’re in the school for engineering?” Riri asked, and Morgan was happy to see the conversation had taken such a normal turn.  
“Yes. I’m in computational science and engineering. What about you?”  
“Mechanical.” Before the conversation could continue Happy came in with two more boxes, followed closely by Pepper.  
“I can take, Happy.” She went to take one of the boxes from him, but Happy had already placed both boxes on the unmade bed. “Mom, this is my roommate. Riri Williams.”  
“Nice to meet you Riri.” Pepper held out a hand, which Riri reluctantly shook in response.  
“Riri is in mechanical engineering. And she’s the youngest recipient of the Stark scholarship.” Morgan had done a little research on her roommate, and was at the very least pleased that they might be hated together.   
Much like Morgan Riri was a prodigy in her field, though she had actually skipped several grades. She’d graduated with the title of valedictorian earlier that year, and was a candidate for SHIELD, though Morgan wasn’t supposed to know that. Riri didn’t even know that.  
“That’s great.” Pepper remarked. “Sounds like you’ve got a bright future ahead of you.”  
“Here’s hoping.” Riri held up a set of crossed fingers, bearing a light hearted smile.  
…  
It took a while to get Pepper and Happy out of the dorm, but when they finally said their goodbyes Morgan felt a surge of relief. She loved Happy and her mother dearly, and while they had their reasons for being so protective she needed this breathing space. She was sure there’d be plenty of visits from various avengers throughout the year, but Boston was her city now. While New York was crawling with heroes, Massachusetts was generally safe.  
“So, have you ever seen the armour up close?” Riri asked as they finished setting up the room.  
“My mom tells me I used to steal the helmet from Rescue all the time, and my uncle Rhodey has given me plenty of demonstrations.” Morgan explained. As she got older she liked to keep her distance from all things Iron Man, choosing to focus on her father’s more mundane work. It kept her mother calm.  
“I thought maybe your dad might have left you your own suit, or something.” Riri sat on her bed with her legs crossed. She looked so at home already.  
“If he did I’ve yet to see it.But, he’s left me plenty of other things.” There was an awkward stretch of silence before Riri spoke again.  
“I lost my dad too.” Her eyes went glassy as she fought back tears. “Just last year. Now it’s just me and my mom.”  
“I’m so sorry. I can hardly imagine how that must feel.”  
“What are you talking about? You’ve been through the same thing.”  
“Yeah, but I was three. And while I may lack blood relations, the avengers are possibly the biggest family I could have asked for.” She’d spent a week in Wakanda over the summer. Princess Shuri was eager to share her latest invention with Morgan. Her Uncle Peter said he’d come and visit her this week, to show her the Boston address her father had left her. Morgan planned on spending her spring break in New Asgard, where she would be Queen Brunnhilde’s personal guest. It was hard to complain.  
“Have you ever met Captain Marvel?” Riri was quickly wiping away tears, and desperately trying to change the subject.  
“A few times, but she rarely comes to earth.” Morgan thought back to the last time she’d seen Carol Danvers. Two years ago she’d shown up just in time for Morgan’s birthday, and had brought an alien battery that Morgan used to extend the battery life on her holowatch. Said watch has not required a charge ever since.  
“I saw her crash into Boston Harbor two years ago. Might just be the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me.”  
“Aunt Carol has that effect on people.” Morgan let a quick giggle slip out. “You hungry? I could kill for a cheeseburger right now.”  
“Sure. There’s a white castle a few streets over.”  
…  
Yes, the white castle wasn’t far, but even closer was an old garage that once belonged to Tony Stark himself. Morgan had almost forgotten about her father’s latest gift. He’d left behind so much for her. Not just money and cars, but research, holo diaries, a billion little things to remember him by.  
“This place looks like it’s been abandoned forever.” Riri said to Morgan as they passed by the shabby and forgotten mechanic’s shop.  
“Not exactly.” Morgan said under her breath. “300 Brattle street. I guess 3000 wasn’t available.” She cracked a smile and ran her hand over the padlock on the door.  
“You got a key?”  
“Not yet. My Uncle Rhodey is supposed to come by this week to give me the nickle tour.” She kept walking down the street, Riri jogging to keep up with her.  
“Rhodey?” Riri furrowed her brow in confusion. “Do you mean James Rhodes? War Machine?”  
“He hates that name.”  
…  
The lab was everything Riri could have hoped for. She swiped her ID, thrilled when the light blinked green and the door clicked open. There was a bucket filled with scrap metal that would have to do the trick. A quick scan of the lab proved that it could be done, with great difficulty, but it could be done. This is everything she came here for. MIT made Tony Stark into the genius that saved the world countless times. She could only hope it would do the same for her.


	2. Think Fast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can't pull the wool over the eyes of Morgan Stark.

James Rhodes, formerly known as war machine, had put his armor away for the last time three years ago. Most of the early avengers had hung up the proverbial cape, leaving room for the next generation. This also freed up Rhodey’s schedule to come visit his second favorite niece. Morgan woke up early that Saturday to meet him at Logan airport. What she didn’t expect was to see Peter Parker and Harley Keener stepping off the quinjet, with Rhodey in his wheelchair right behind them.   
“Shouldn’t you be keeping the freshman class in line?” Morgan greeted Peter and Harley. They’d been like big brothers to her growing up, but now they worked as professors at the Avengers academy.  
“Thought we could take a few days off to see how our little runaway is doing.” Harley could be snide when he wanted to. Morgan had turned down the opportunity to attend the Avengers academy, as well as SHIELD training, all for the chance to go to MIT.   
“Don’t be so hard on her.” Rhodey told Harley. “How is your dad’s old stomping ground?”   
“Not half bad. My roommate is a bit of an iron fan, but she’s also a total genius.” In the span of a week Morgan and Riri had become close friends. They talked about their wildly different upbringings, and mutual love of inventing.   
“Your mom mentioned her. Riri, right?” Morgan tapped her nose, signaling that Rhodey was right.  
“The fifteen year old recipient of the Stark internship.” Peter was in awe. “How did the avengers miss her during recruitment?”   
“I thought you guys didn’t recruit minors? Regardless of grade skipping and potential superpowers.” Rhodey had begun steering his wheelchair towards the van. It wasn’t the new car Morgan had been promised upon her arrival. That still sat in the garage that she didn’t have the key to.  
…  
“Legacy?” Riri called out Morgan’s nickname as she walked into the room. When nobody answered she darted to her desk, and opened up her tablet. The blueprints needed revising before she could make any more progress on the prototype.The student lab didn’t have all the materials she’d hoped for, and she couldn’t afford to purchase anything herself.  
“Don’t worry,” She whispered to herself as she worked. “It’ll all come together.”  
…  
“Are you finally gonna answer my question?” Morgan looked up at the rusty garage door of the garage.  
“Which one?” Peter teased her as Rhodey punched in the passcode on the door.  
“What is this placefor?” Obviously it was a garage, and there was some kind of designer car inside, but she knew there had to be more to it than that.  
“Step inside, and let us show you.” Rhodey led the three of them inside of the empty garage. There was no car, and the interior looked no different from the outside. Cement floor, rusty garage doors, bare walls, metal beams holding the whole thing together.  
“So where’s the secret elevator?” Peter and Harley looked disappointed by Morgan’s response, while Rhodey had a rich grin across his face. Nobody answered her, and she knew this was some kind of test. Her childhood had been filled with tests of every kind. Anything to keep her sharp. “No bricks or shelves means there’s nowhere to hide a door, so the room is the elevator.”  
“Good start.” Peter nodded. Harley and him were always looking to stump her, and they had yet to win any bets. She spun around the room again, slowly.  
“If it were facial recognition it would have already started moving.” There weren’t any visible cameras or microphones, but nanotech was pretty easy to hide these days. “I love you three thousand?” He’d said it to her in his eulogy. According to her mother she’d said it to him the night before he left. She used it as a password for most of her accounts, but it didn’t seem to work for this. “This is going to take awhile, isn’t it?”  
…  
Riri wasn’t there when Morgan got back to the dorm. She had yet to figure out the secret to the garage, but Rhodey left her the code to the front door, but the rest would require a bit more effort. Morgan fell back onto her bed, and looked up at the ceiling. Mulling over what it could possibly be that would activate the elevator.  
After a moment she leapt to her feet, and pulled her tablet out. She opened up the file labeled “I love you 3000”. Her father’s holo diaries. Without a second thought she hit play on the first one. Tony Stark materialized before her, holding a tiny baby in his arms.  
“You know, my dad wasn’t the most affectionate.” He cradled her back and forth. “I used to think that maybe it was my fault, but now I know that can’t be right. Because you,” He leaned into her, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Morgan Stark, could burn the world to the ground,-”  
“And I think I’d still love you.” She knew these diaries by heart. Watched them on repeat throughout her childhood. The first one finished, and she started up the second. Then the third, and so on through the night. It was two AM when Riri slipped through the door, startling Morgan, and forcing her to shut off the tablet.  
“What was that?” Riri had just caught a glimpse of Iron Man sitting in the middle of an MIT dorm room.  
“My dad.” Morgan held up the tablet, switching it back on and resuming play.  
“Peter was an idiot, but if the kid didn’t have guts, and a whole lot of promise.” Riri, passed through the projection, and took a seat next to Morgan on the bed. “Followed me into space without a second thought.”  
“Is he talking about Spider-man?” She whispered, in absolute awe of the diaries.  
“This is from 2019. One year after Thanos dusted half the universe.” Morgan explained.  
“I know I was hard on the kid, but it was only because I needed him to be better.” He was tearing up. Those five years were a blur to Morgan. Riri hadn’t even been born, not until right before the second snap. For some people the gap between the dusting and the second Chitari war was just history. For those who can remember, it was hell.  
She shut off the tablet again as the diary came to a close. The room was terribly dark without the light from the projector. Riri slowly reached for the desk lamp, illuminating Morgan’s face, with a single tear rolling down her cheek.  
“Sometimes I forget that Peter actually died.” She said, wiping away the single tear. “He never talks about it, but it set him back by five years.”  
“I had an aunt who was lost after the dusting.” Riri let Morgan rest her head on her shoulder. “She once told me it felt like waking up. When your dad snapped everything back to normal.” She took a deep breath. “That’s all she ever told me about it.”  
“He saved so many people.” This wasn’t something Morgan had ever wanted to talk about with her mother, or the other avengers. “I was four when he died. The martyr’s daughter” Now the tears were really making their way to the surface. “I think the rest of the avengers felt indebted to me somehow.”  
“I wish someone had felt indebted to me after my dad died.” The two fell silent.   
“Where were you?” Morgan finally spoke up. It was late. Or rather, it was terribly early, depending on how you look at it.  
“I fell asleep in the library.” Riri said after a prolonged pause. Her eyes were darting around the room in slight panic.  
“You’re lying.” Morgan could almost see the beads of sweat forming on her brow. “Lucky for you, I have class in six hours, so I’ll give you until tomorrow night to figure out your next excuse.” She gestured for Riri to get off her bed, and the two got ready in silence.  
Riri had no idea what she was going to tell Morgan. It wasn’t like the truth was completely out of the question. If anyone were to understand it would be the daughter of an avenger. Then again. Would she be okay with Riri taking her father’s mantle?


End file.
